Servo drives and programming software

[LARGrizzly]

Has anyone used a servo drive programming software package that they really liked or was especially easy to use?

I experienced PacSci's 800Tools for a PC833 drive. Hated it!! Perhaps it is a drive that is too basic to easily do what we want it to do. We used the drive in "Predfined Move" mode. This meant selecting each movement digitally (via PLC) and then timing a "Start Move" pulse to initiate the movements. There were only 8 programmable moves available. Poor.

Also used Applied Motion Products Si Programmer V1.82. Much nicer unit. Easy to program, easy to understand, very intuitive. There were many more moves available for programming and 4 digital inputs available among other nice features.

There is such a vast difference, I wonder if I am comparing apples to apples.

Is this the best forum for this thread?

 

[djs]

Hello;
I especially liked the Emerson Motion products line of servo controllers. I managed to control a complete diverter using one (including logic control).

 

[SERVOCAM]

Emerson Control Techniques is really easy to use. GE Fanuc's Cimplicity Motion Developer for the S2K series is nice. Tol-o-Matics is easy. IDC's is easy to use. I'm sure some the the Compumotor fans out there like theirs.

I don't think there really is a right answer for your question. I have used many and have my preferences and I'm sure most will agree.

Ours is nice,

http://www.aerotech.com

Cameron Anderson
Sales & Applications Engineer

http://www.aerotech.com

"Dedicated to the Science of Motion"

 

[LARGrizzly]

Thanks for the feedback. I checked out your website. I'm going to add it my favorites list.

 

[skills]

The smartmotor from Animatics

http://www.animatics.com

is fairly easy and straightforward to use. The lanquage is nice and I/O is easy to use. Several motors can network easily the form multi axis control and the like.

Micromo is terrible and gave me a headache. The interpreted and compiled code behaves differently in several undocumented ways.

 

[jsalls]

I especially like the CTC Motion Controller and programming package (Quickstep). Very easy to program and extremely robust.

Compumotor has a nice programming package as well (Motion Planner) with a VB environment built in for setting up a really slick operator interface, but the drives themselves seemed tempermental and touchy while you are programming. Once you get everything set up and stable they are solid, but it is a pain up to that point.

Good Luck!

 

[PITZER]

I don't do a lot of embedded software development - mostly mechanical designs.

I found the Animatics Smart Motor system fairly easy to pick up. The all-in-one system makes everything pretty simple. I wish it could handle some floating point calcs, though.

CHUCK
Pitzer Consulting

 

[plcsavvy]

What is the application that you require a servo drive for.
the reason I ask is that some servo systems are very well tailored to following type applications and some are well tailored to controlling several axes for instance. When I do not need to change paramaters in a rotary type axis I am apt to use the emerson control techniques for the ease of use and simplicity. When I need to control several linear axis but do not need to change paramaters such as velocity or torque, I prefer to use yamaha servo drives for their ease of use. I have used the lexium series of servo drives from shneider electric for an apllication that required the operator to input data such as velocity and number of turns. The drives were interfaced to a modicon momentum plc over modbus plus.

best regards, plcsavvy